I use venison shanks here, but you can use any red meat with a lot of connective tissue: shanks, shoulder or neck. You can skip the file gumbo if you can't find it.
2 to 4deer shanks or other similar meat(about 3 to 4 pounds)
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
Salt
1/2teaspooncayenne or red pepper flakes,(or a few dried hot peppers, broken)
2bay leaves
2tablespoonspaprika, smoked if possible
12ouncesshrimp, with peels
2tablespoonsbacon fat, lard or vegetable oil
1poundokra, sliced
1yellow onion, chopped
2stalkscelery, chopped
1green bell pepper, chopped
4clovesgarlic, minced
1 to 3Scotch bonnet (habanero) pepper, minced(optional)
1teaspoondried thyme
1 1/2 cupstomato puree,fire-roasted if possible
1/2poundcrabmeat(optional)
1/2cupchopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Gumbo file, to taste(sassafras leaf powder)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat the shanks or other meat with a thin sheen of oil, then salt well. Arrange in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove the roasting pan and add the shanks to a large soup pot. Cover with water and turn the heat to medium-high. Add some water to the roasting pan and, when it has loosened up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, use a wooden spoon to scrape them off. Add all that to the soup pot. Stir in the cayenne, bay leaves and paprika and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, then cook gently for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the shells from all the shrimp to the soup pot. You will likely need a total of 3 hours to render deer shanks tender, but most other meats won't take that long.
When the shanks are reasonably tender, get a large frying pan out and heat 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat over medium-high heat. Arrange the sliced okra in the pan and sear hard without stirring for 5 minutes. Stir, then let them cook like this another 5 minutes. You want a little char and lots of browning.
Add the chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper and keep searing on high for another 3 to 5 minutes. Now it's time to add the garlic and Scotch bonnet peppers, if you are using them. Cook all this for another 2 minutes, stirring often, then turn off the heat.
Pull the meat off the bones of the deer shanks and shred into pieces you'd want to eat in gumbo. Strain the broth the meat cooked in. Wipe out the soup pot and return the strained broth into it, along with the shredded meat and the vegetables in the frying pan. Stir well and taste for salt.
Add the dried thyme, the tomato puree and let this cook 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and and crabmeat, if using, and let this cook 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Add about a tablespoon of gumbo file if you're using it. Serve over rice or with grits.
Notes
NOTE: There is a cool ingredient to make this a bit more African if you want: selim pepper, which you can buy online. Use it in the initial broth and at the end. It adds an exotic floral note.